Wavelength conversion member manufacturing method and method for manufacturing light-emitting device

ABSTRACT

A wavelength conversion member manufacturing method includes: providing the wavelength conversion member having an upper surface, the wavelength conversion member including a phosphor portion, and a light-transmissive portion configured to transmit fluorescence from the phosphor portion; and forming, in the wavelength conversion member, at least one depressed portion each having an inclined surface inclined with respect to the upper surface by irradiating the wavelength conversion member with a pulsed laser beam from above more than once to form a plurality of continuous machining marks at different processing depths.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/648,780, filed on Jul. 13, 2017. The present applicationclaims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-143875, filed onJul. 22, 2016. The entire disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/648,780 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-143875 arehereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method and a method for manufacturing a light-emittingdevice including the wavelength conversion member.

2. Description of Related Art

A known light source device includes a semiconductor laser element and aphosphor layer disposed away from the semiconductor laser element andhaving a plurality of inclined surface structures on its surface (seeJapanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-41475).Examples of the form of the phosphor layer include a member in whichphosphor powder is dispersed in glass or resin, and a phosphor ceramic.Examples of the method for forming the inclined surface structuresinclude microlithography.

SUMMARY

However, etching with the lithography technique leads to differences inetching rates between materials. Hence, in the case where a phosphorlayer to be used contains a mixture of a phosphor and another material,it is difficult to obtain an intended shape by etching. Another exampleof the method for forming a depressed portion in the phosphor layer is amechanical machining using a blade or the like. However, the shape ofthe resulting depressed portion changes as the machining progressesbecause the blade or the like gets worn due to the machining.

The present disclosure includes the following aspects of the invention.According to one aspect of the invention, a wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method includes: providing the wavelength conversionmember having an upper surface, the wavelength conversion memberincluding a phosphor portion, and a light-transmissive portionconfigured to transmit fluorescence from the phosphor portion; andforming, in the wavelength conversion member, at least one depressedportion each having an inclined surface inclined with respect to theupper surface by irradiating the wavelength conversion member with apulsed laser beam from above more than once to form a plurality ofcontinuous machining marks at different processing depths.

According to another aspect of the invention, a wavelength conversionmember manufacturing method includes: providing the wavelengthconversion member having an upper surface, the wavelength conversionmember including a phosphor portion, and a light-transmissive portionconfigured to transmit fluorescence from the phosphor portion; andforming, in the wavelength conversion member, at least one depressedportion each having an inclined surface inclined with respect to theupper surface by irradiating the wavelength conversion member with apulsed laser beam from above more than once to form a plurality ofcontinuous sets of machining marks at different processing depths, eachof the continuous sets of the machining marks having a plurality ofcontinuous machining marks at a fixed processing depth.

These methods each enable a depressed portion having a desired shape tobe formed in a wavelength conversion member including a phosphor portionand a light-transmissive portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a method formanufacturing a wavelength conversion member having a depressed portionaccording to a first embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the method formanufacturing the wavelength conversion member having the depressedportion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 1C is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the method formanufacturing the wavelength conversion member having the depressedportion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 2C is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 2D is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 2E is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 2F is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an illustrativestep of forming the depressed portion.

FIG. 3A is a schematic top view of a light-emitting device according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a schematic sectional view taken along the line 3B-3B in FIG.3A.

FIG. 3C is a schematic, partial, enlarged view of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 3D is a schematic, partial, enlarged view of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4A is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a method formanufacturing a wavelength conversion member having a depressed portionaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a variation ofthe second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a section of awavelength conversion member in Example 1.

FIG. 6 is an SEM image of a section of a wavelength conversion member inExample 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes embodiments of the invention with reference tothe accompanying drawings as appropriate. A wavelength conversion memberand a light-emitting device to be described below are intended to embodythe technical concept of the present invention and are not intended tolimit the present invention to the member and the device below unlessspecifically stated otherwise. It should be noted that there is a casewhere magnitudes or positional relations of members illustrated in eachdrawing are exaggerated in order to clarify the descriptions.

First Embodiment

FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematic sectional views for illustrating a methodfor manufacturing a wavelength conversion member 10 having a depressedportion 13 according to a first embodiment. FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematicenlarged views of part of the wavelength conversion member 10.

First, the wavelength conversion member 10 having an upper surface 10 aas shown in FIG. 1A is provided. The wavelength conversion member 10includes a phosphor portion and a light-transmissive portion thattransmits fluorescence from the phosphor portion.

Next, the wavelength conversion member 10 is irradiated with a pulsedlaser beam L from above more than once to form a plurality of continuousmachining marks A as shown in FIG. 1B. The depressed portion 13 havinginclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b inclined with respect to the uppersurface 10 a is thus formed in the wavelength conversion member 10 asshown in FIG. 1C.

Through these steps, the depressed portion 13 having a desired shape canbe formed in the wavelength conversion member 10 including the phosphorportion and the light-transmissive portion. That is, differences inprocessing rates between different materials are smaller in machiningwith the pulsed laser beam L than in the case of etching, and anintended shape can be easily obtained.

A detailed procedure of the forming of the depressed portion 13 will bedescribed referring to FIGS. 2A to 2F. FIGS. 2A to 2F are schematicperspective views for illustrating the forming of the depressed portion13.

In a top view, a predetermined direction is referred to as a firstdirection B₁, and a direction perpendicular to the first direction B₁ isreferred to as a second direction B₂ as shown in FIG. 2A. Scanning withthe pulsed laser beam L at a fixed processing depth along the firstdirection B₁ is referred to as Step C of scanning. The fixed processingdepth herein includes not only identical processing depths butprocessing depths that are substantially the same. Performing Step C ofscanning more than once at irradiation positions shifted in the seconddirection B₂ is referred to as Set D of scanning. As shown in FIGS. 2Ato 2F, such Set D of scanning is performed more than once at differentprocessing depths in regions overlapping each other in a top view toform the depressed portion 13. The processing depth is based on theupper surface 10 a of the wavelength conversion member 10 before thedepressed portion 13 is formed. For example, in the wavelengthconversion member 10 shown in FIG. 1B, machining marks A shown laterallyindicate a fixed depth, and machining marks A shown vertically indicatedifferent processing depths. To apply the pulsed laser beam L at a fixedprocessing depth, the pulsed laser beam L is applied with the depth ofthe focus and conditions that affect the size of the machining marks A,such as an output, being fixed.

In the forming of the depressed portion 13, it is preferable to performa plurality of Set D of scanning so that the processing depth increasesas the machining position becomes closer to the lower end. That is, itis preferable to perform Set D of scanning at the shallowest processingdepth first among Sets D of scanning required for forming the depressedportion 13 and then gradually increase the processing depth.Furthermore, each of the machining marks A formed by applying the pulsedlaser beam L preferably has a depressed shape that opens upward. If themachining marks A are formed inside the wavelength conversion member 10,the wavelength conversion member 10 may be broken because of cracksstarting from the machining marks A. Hence, to reduce the possibility ofbreakage of the wavelength conversion member 10, surface machining ispreferably performed instead of internal machining so that the machiningmarks A each have a depressed shape that opens upward. Such machining ispossible if the machining is performed from an upper processing depth toa lower processing depth. The lower direction is the direction from theupper surface 10 a toward a lower surface 10 b that is opposite to theupper surface 10 a.

First, performing Step C of scanning once forms a groove formed ofcontinuous machining marks A in a line along the first direction B₁ atsubstantially the same depths. Performing Set D of scanning, in whichsuch Step C of scanning is performed more than once, forms a shallowgroove 131 as shown in FIG. 2B. The shallow groove 131 has a bottomsurface substantially parallel to the upper surface 10 a. All Steps C ofscanning may be performed in the same direction but are preferablyperformed back and forth, that is, performed in alternating oppositescanning directions. The machining time can be thus reduced. Thepositions in the second direction B₂ of focuses in Steps C of scanningin Set D of scanning are such that the machining marks A of differentsteps will be continuous with each other.

Such Set D of scanning is performed more than once successively downwardin regions overlapping each other in a top view to form the depressedportion 13. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2C to 2F, Set D of scanning isperformed again on the bottom surface of the shallow groove 131 to forma new shallow groove 131. Through digging gradually deeper in thismanner, the depressed portion 13 gets deeper. Also, the inclinedsurfaces 13 a and 13 b of the depressed portion 13 get flatter whenmachining marks at the edges of one of a plurality of shallow grooves131 successively formed are formed continuously with machining marks atthe edges of another one of the shallow grooves 131. Also, the depressedportion 13 having a desired shape can be formed by adjusting thepositions at which the shallow grooves 131 are formed and the lengths ofthe shallow grooves 131 in the second direction B₂. The number of timesof Step C of scanning in each Set D of scanning is preferably reduced asthe distance from the upper surface 10 a increases. This procedure formsthe depressed portion 13 the length of which in the second direction B₂decreases as the distance from the upper surface 10 a increases.

For example, in laser machining with a pulsed laser beam in which onlymachining marks at substantially the same depths are formedcontinuously, the resulting depressed portion will have a shape thatdirectly reflects laser irradiation conditions such as the radiationdirection and spot diameter of the pulsed laser beam. In the presentembodiment, however, Set D of scanning is performed more than oncesuccessively downward as shown in FIGS. 2C to 2F to form the continuousmachining marks A, thereby forming the depressed portion 13. In thismethod, selecting combinations of the number of times and positions in atop view of Sets D of scanning enables a desired shape to be obtained.The following describes each step in detail.

Providing Wavelength Conversion Member 10

First, the wavelength conversion member 10 that includes the phosphorportion and the light-transmissive portion is provided. Typically, thewavelength conversion member 10 is a sintered body of a phosphor and aceramic. The light-transmissive portion is made of a material differentfrom the material of the phosphor portion. The light-transmissiveportion is preferably different in refractive index from the phosphorportion. In that case, light can be scattered within the wavelengthconversion member 10 due to the difference in refractive index andextracted from the upper surface 10 a.

The phosphor portion is excited by first light (excitation light) andemits second light that is fluorescence. Mixing the first light and thesecond light provides, for example, white light. The phosphor portion ismade of, for example, one type of phosphor. In the case where the firstlight is blue, selecting yellow light as the second light provides whitelight as the mixture of the first and second light. The wavelengthconversion member 10 may contain two or more types of phosphor. Forexample, red light may be added as the second light in addition to theyellow light. Examples of the phosphor that emits yellow light includeYAG phosphors and LAG phosphors. Examples of the phosphor that emits redlight include CASN phosphors. Al₂O₃ is an example of a material thatconstitutes the light-transmissive portion and differs in refractiveindex from the phosphor portion.

The proportion of the phosphor portion to the wavelength conversionmember 10 is, for example, about 60 to 90 vol %. The wavelengthconversion member 10 including the phosphor portion as a main part issuitable for a reflective light-emitting device 20 in which a surfaceirradiated with the first light serves as the light-extracting surfaceas shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B described later. In this wavelengthconversion member 10, it is difficult for light to reach the lowersurface 10 b, and light is easily extracted from the upper surface 10 a.The portion other than the phosphor portion of the wavelength conversionmember 10 can be substantially made of the light-transmissive portion.The wavelength conversion member 10 may include a material other thanthe phosphor portion and the light-transmissive portion, such as ascattering agent.

The thickness of the wavelength conversion member 10 can be, forexample, about 80 to 250 μm. The outer edges of the wavelengthconversion member 10 form, for example, a circle, ellipse, rectangle, oranother polygon in a top view. For example, in the case of a wavelengthconversion member 10 having a rectangular shape in a top view, thelength of one side can be about 0.2 to 2.0 mm, more specifically about0.3 to 1.0 mm.

Forming Depressed Portion

Next, the wavelength conversion member 10 is irradiated with the pulsedlaser beam L from above more than once to form the continuous machiningmarks A, thereby forming the depressed portion 13. For example, thedepressed portion 13 having a desired shape can be formed bysuccessively forming the machining marks A shown in FIG. 1B one by one.Alternatively, in the case where a plurality of emitting units of thepulsed laser beam L are provided, a plurality of machining marks A canbe formed at once.

A smaller size of the machining marks A enables the inclined surfaces 13a and 13 b to be flatter. Provided that the resulting depressed portion13 has a fixed size, reducing the size of the machining marks Aincreases the number of the machining marks A required for providing onedepressed portion 13. Hence, the larger the number of times of Set D ofscanning required for forming one depressed portion 13 is, the flatterthe inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b tend to be. Accordingly, the numberof times of Set D of scanning in forming one depressed portion 13 ispreferably three or more. On the other hand, a larger number of times ofSet D of scanning increase the machining time. Accordingly, the numberof times of Set D of scanning in forming one depressed portion 13 ispreferably 30 or less, more preferably 15 or less.

For example, the depressed portion 13 defined by the two inclinedsurfaces 13 a and 13 b in a sectional view parallel to the seconddirection B₂ and perpendicular to the upper surface 10 a can be formed.In the case of forming such a depressed portion 13 that hassubstantially no bottom surface, irradiation with the pulsed laser beamL at the largest processing depth, that is, the last irradiation withthe pulsed laser beam L, may be one Step C of scanning or may be Set Dof scanning including performing Step C of scanning more than once. Inthe case where the last irradiation with the pulsed laser beam L is SetD of scanning, the number of times of Step C of scanning constitutingthe Set D of scanning is, for example, in a range of 2 to 5.

For example, a laser scribing apparatus is used for irradiation with thepulsed laser beam L. Examples of a laser light source that emits thepulsed laser beam L include Ti:sapphire lasers, Yb:KGW lasers, andNd:YVO₄ lasers.

Examples of the pulsed laser beam L include laser beams having pulsewidths of the order of nanoseconds or femtoseconds. In the presentembodiment, a laser beam having a femtosecond-order pulse width ispreferable. Specifically, the order of femtoseconds includes 100 to10,000 fs. A nanosecond-order pulsed laser beam L generates adark-colored deteriorated layer along with formation of the machiningmarks A, but a femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L less generates thedark-colored deteriorated layer. Accordingly, cleaning for removing thedark-colored deteriorated layer can be omitted. In the case wheremachining with the femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L generatesshavings (debris) adhering to the depressed portion 13 and itsvicinities, a simple cleaning is preferably performed to remove theshavings. Also, using the femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L cansmoothen the surfaces of the machining marks A or reduce the size of themachining marks A compared with the case of the nanosecond-order pulsedlaser beam L. Accordingly, a depressed portion 13 having flatterinclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b or a finer depressed portion 13 can beformed.

The output of the pulsed laser beam L should be low enough not to breakthe wavelength conversion member 10. Specifically, the output of thefemtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L is preferably 100 mW or less. Inthis range, the wavelength conversion member 10 is less likely to bebroken. Also, since the above output allows the maximum width of eachmachining mark A in a top view to be some micrometers or less, thedepressed portion 13 having flatter inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b canbe formed. A too low output, however, makes the machining difficult, andtherefore the femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L preferably has anoutput of 30 mW or less. In the case of the femtosecond-order pulsedlaser beam L, the maximum lengths in the first direction B₁ and thesecond direction B₂ of each machining mark A should be, for example,about 1 to 3 μm each. The length of each machining mark A in thethickness direction of the wavelength conversion member 10 should be,for example, about 1 to 3 μm.

The position of the focus of the pulsed laser beam L in the depthdirection should be on the surface or its vicinities of the wavelengthconversion member 10. With the femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L,machining marks A can be formed not only on the surface but inside thewavelength conversion member 10. Internal machining, however, may breakthe wavelength conversion member 10 in the thickness direction. For thisreason, the focus of the femtosecond-order pulsed laser beam L ispreferably located within a range of 5 μm from the surface of thewavelength conversion member 10 in the depth direction. The surface ofthe wavelength conversion member 10 refers to the uppermost surface of aportion to be irradiated with the pulsed laser beam L. For example, theuppermost surface refers to the upper surface 10 a in the first Set D ofscanning and refers to the bottom surface of the shallow groove 131 inthe second Set D of scanning performed on the shallow groove 131 thathas been formed in the first Set D of scanning.

The interval between focuses, that is, the pitch of the pulsed laserbeam L, in the first direction B₁ in each Step C of scanning should besmaller than the maximum length in the first direction B₁ of a machiningmark A formed by one irradiation with the pulsed laser beam L. Thisconstitution allows the machining marks A to be connected with eachother. For example, the pitch of the pulsed laser beam L should be about5 to 25 nm. A smaller pitch of the pulsed laser beam L makes thesurfaces of the resulting depressed portion flatter, and a larger pitchof the pulsed laser beam L makes the surfaces rougher. The pitch of thepulsed laser beam L can be adjusted by changing the feed rate of a traycarrying the wavelength conversion member 10, the repetition frequencyof the pulsed laser beam L, or the like.

The shortest distance between the focuses in different Steps C ofscanning in the second direction B₂ should be smaller than the maximumlength in the second direction B₂ of a machining mark A formed by oneirradiation with the pulsed laser beam L. This constitution allows themachining marks A to be connected with each other. For example, in oneSet D of scanning, one Step C of scanning is performed at a positionabout 1 to 3 μm away in the second direction B₂ from the position of theimmediately preceding Step C of scanning.

The depressed portion 13 formed by such Step C of scanning and Set D ofscanning has, for example, a rectangular shape in a top view. Thedepressed portion 13 having a desired shape can be formed by adjustingpositions and the numbers of times of Step C of scanning and Set D ofscanning. For example, a plurality of depressed portions 13 away fromeach other in the first direction B₁ can be formed. Such depressedportions 13 can be formed by applying a laser beam in regions in whichthe depressed portions 13 are to be formed and not applying the laserbeam in regions in which the depressed portions 13 are not to be formedwhile the tray carrying the wavelength conversion member 10 is movingalong the first direction B₁. A depressed portion 13 having a circularshape in a top view can also be formed in this manner.

A plurality of depressed portions 13 can be formed in the wavelengthconversion member 10. In this case, the above forming of the depressedportion 13 is repeated. In the case where a plurality of emitting unitsof the pulsed laser beam L are provided, the depressed portions 13 canbe formed at once. In the case where only one emitting unit of thepulsed laser beam L is provided, to form a plurality of depressedportions 13, Step C of scanning at a fixed processing depth ispreferably performed across the whole wavelength conversion member 10rather than forming the depressed portions 13 one by one. For example,Step C of scanning at the shallowest processing depth is performed in aregion in which one depressed portion 13 is to be formed, and Step C ofscanning is then successively performed at substantially the sameprocessing depth in a region in which an another adjacent depressedportion 13 is to be formed. The number of changes in the processingdepth is thus reduced compared with the case where the depressedportions 13 are formed one by one, thereby shortening the machining timerequired for completing formation of a plurality of depressed portions13.

Method for Manufacturing Light-Emitting Device 20

Also, the light-emitting device 20 that includes the wavelengthconversion member 10 having the depressed portion 13 can bemanufactured. FIG. 3A is a schematic top view of the resultinglight-emitting device 20. FIG. 3B is a schematic sectional view takenalong the line 3B-3B in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D are schematic,partial, enlarged views of FIG. 3B. A method for manufacturing thelight-emitting device 20 includes fixing a laser light source 21 and thewavelength conversion member 10 having the depressed portion 13 so thatthey have a predetermined positional relation. The laser light source 21emits the first light. The first light excites the phosphor contained inthe wavelength conversion member 10 in order to emit the second light.The predetermined positional relation refers to such a positionalrelation that the depressed portion 13 is irradiated with the firstlight.

In the light-emitting device 20, the wavelength conversion member 10 isirradiated at its surface having the depressed portion 13 with the firstlight from the laser light source 21, and thus reflection or the like ofthe light on the surface of the wavelength conversion member 10 iscontrolled by the shape of the depressed portion 13. Also, the firstlight and the second light can be extracted from the same surface of thewavelength conversion member 10 as the surface irradiated with the firstlight. In this case, the laser light source 21 is preferably notdisposed directly above the wavelength conversion member 10 so as not toblock the paths of the first and second light from the wavelengthconversion member.

Inclined surfaces of the depressed portion 13 preferably include a firstsurface 13A as shown in FIG. 3C. The first surface 13A is inclined withrespect to the upper surface 10 a so that light directly incident on thefirst surface 13A along an optical axis Li of the first light isregularly reflected upward. With this first surface 13A, the wavelengthconversion member 10 easily reflects upward the first light applied froma slant direction with respect to a reference plane E. The phosphorcontained in the wavelength conversion member 10 is excited by the firstlight to emit the second light (fluorescence) mainly upward. Thedirection in which the first light reflected by the wavelengthconversion member 10 has the maximum intensity is thus close to thedirection in which the second light has the maximum intensity, therebyproviding the light-emitting device 20 having the improved lightextraction efficiency. A specific shape of the first surface 13A will befurther described. Letting a plane including the bottoms of a pluralityof depressed portions 13 be the reference plane E, the first surface 13Ais formed so that the reference plane E is inclined with respect to theoptical axis Li of the first light. In addition, the first surface 13Ais inclined with respect to the reference plane E so that light directlyincident on each of the depressed portions 13 along the optical axis Liof the first light is regularly reflected upward. This structure allowsthe first light applied from a slant direction with respect to thereference plane E to be more certainly reflected upward.

Preferably, the depressed portions 13 each extend in the first directionB₁ in a top view. This structure allows the first light to be reflectedupward on comparatively large planes compared with the case where theupper surface 10 a of the wavelength conversion member 10 is simplyrough, thereby providing the light-emitting device 20 having good lightextraction efficiency.

The depressed portion 13 can have a second surface 13B (inclined surface13 b). The second surface 13B is inclined with respect to the referenceplane E at an angle different from the inclination angle of the firstsurface 13A. That is, in a sectional view as shown in FIG. 3C, the firstsurface 13A and the second surface 13B are in asymmetry assuming that aline extending perpendicularly to the reference plane E from the pointof intersection of the first surface 13A with the second surface 13B isthe symmetry axis. The above method for forming the depressed portion 13allows the first surface 13A and the second surface 13B having desiredinclinations to be formed through adjustment of the positions at whichthe machining marks A are formed. The first surface 13A and the secondsurface 13B that are asymmetric can be thus formed.

The second surface 13B, which intersects with the first surface 13A, ispreferably at a larger angle to the reference plane E than the firstsurface 13A is, as shown in FIG. 3D. The first light is applied from aslant direction with respect to the reference plane E. Hence, the secondsurface 13B is less likely to be irradiated with the first light. Forthis reason, the length of the second surface 13B in a top view in thesecond direction B₂ is reduced by increasing the inclination angle ofthe second surface 13B. This reduction reduces the interval betweenregions directly irradiated with the first light, thereby making theluminance distribution more uniform. Of the angles to the referenceplane E, the inclination angle refers to an angle of 90° or less. Thedescription that light is “directly incident” or “directly applied” inthe present specification means that light having not been reflected orthe like on an irradiated surface of the wavelength conversion member 10enters a certain surface of the wavelength conversion member 10.Incidence of light on a certain surface of the wavelength conversionmember through a lens or the like is not excluded.

The first surface 13A of the depressed portion 13 has the followingrelations with a straight line (line L_(A) in FIG. 3D) parallel to theoptical axis Li of the first light. First, the first surface 13A is notperpendicular to the line L_(A) parallel to the optical axis Li of thefirst light. Second, the line L_(A) directly intersects with the firstsurface 13A of one depressed portion 13. These relations allow the firstlight to be directly applied to at least part of the first surface 13A.Also, as shown in FIG. 3D, light traveling upward from the wavelengthconversion member 10 is represented by a straight line (line L_(B) inFIG. 3D). The straight line L_(B) and the line L_(A) are in linesymmetry about a straight line perpendicular to the first surface 13A.The first surface 13A having such relations with the line L_(A) canreflect the first light incident on it upward.

The upward direction is, in other words, the light-extracting direction.For example, a direction in a range of about −30° to +300 from adirection perpendicular to the reference plane E can be referred to asthe upward direction. In the case where the light-emitting device 20 hasan opening for extracting light, the direction toward the opening is theupward direction.

The wavelength conversion member 10 preferably has a plurality ofdepressed portions 13 in a range irradiated at once with the first lightfrom the laser light source 21. This structure reduces imbalances in thedistribution of emission intensity of the first light in a top view.Specifically, the depressed portions 13 can each have a width in a rangeof 5 μm to 80 μm. The depressed portions 13 can each have a depth in arange of 3 μm to 35 μm. In the case of the depressed portions 13, asshown in FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D, each having a shape in which the bottomand its vicinities are not directly irradiated with the first light fromthe laser light source 21, the widths of the depressed portions 13 arepreferably reduced. This reduction reduces the interval between regionsdirectly irradiated with the first light, thereby making the luminancedistribution more uniform. Specifically, the depressed portions 13 eachpreferably have a width in a range of 5 μm to 20 μm. In this case, thedepressed portions each preferably have a depth in a range of, forexample, 3 μm to 10 μm. From another viewpoint, the depressed portions13 each preferably have a depth that measures 30% or less of thethickness of the wavelength conversion member 10. In this range, thewavelength conversion member 10 is less likely to be broken. The widthof the depressed portion 13 refers to the shortest distance from one endto the other end of the depressed portion 13 in the second direction B₂in a top view. The depth of the depressed portion 13 refers to theshortest distance from the reference plane E to the top of the depressedportion 13.

It is preferable that the depressed portion 13 be sufficiently long inthe first direction B₁ in a top view to allow the first surface 13A tofunction as a specular surface. Specifically, the length of thedepressed portion 13 in the first direction B₁ can be larger than thewidth thereof. For example, the length of the depressed portion 13 inthe first direction B₁ is equal to the length of the wavelengthconversion member 10 in the first direction B₁.

The laser light source 21 emits the first light that excites thephosphor portion contained in the wavelength conversion member 10.Examples of the laser light source 21 include semiconductor laserelements. A combination of a semiconductor laser element and at leastone member such as an optical member including a lens, a fiber, and areflector may be referred to as the laser light source 21. The firstlight emitted by the laser light source 21 is a laser beam (coherentlight) from the time the first light is emitted from the laser lightsource 21 until the first light reaches the wavelength conversion member10. The first light may be non-laser light (incoherent light) afterbeing reflected on the irradiated surface of the wavelength conversionmember 10 or being extracted to the outside through the wavelengthconversion member 10. Regardless of whether the light is laser light ornot, light (such as blue light) that originates from the laser lightsource 21 and has not been converted is referred to as the first lightin the present embodiment.

The first light can have a peak wavelength in a range of, for example,350 nm to 600 nm. In the case where a yellow phosphor such as a YAGphosphor is combined to provide white light, the first light preferablyhas a peak wavelength in a range of 430 nm to 460 nm. Examples of alight source that emits a laser beam having such a peak wavelengthinclude GaN semiconductor laser elements. A GaN semiconductor laserelement has, for example, a quantum well structure including a welllayer of InGaN.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 4A is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a method formanufacturing the wavelength conversion member 10 having the depressedportion 13 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4A is a schematicenlarged view of part of the wavelength conversion member 10. The methodfor manufacturing the wavelength conversion member 10 having thedepressed portion 13 according to the second embodiment differs in theforming of the depressed portion 13 from the manufacturing method in thefirst embodiment. The other part of the method is the same as themanufacturing method in the first embodiment. For members and steps thatare not described, materials and conditions in the first embodiment canbe employed.

In forming of the depressed portion 13 in the manufacturing methodaccording to the second embodiment, the wavelength conversion member 10is irradiated with the pulsed laser beam L from above more than once toform a plurality of continuous machining marks A at different processingdepths, as shown in FIG. 4B, or to form a plurality of continuous setsof machining marks A at different processing depths, the sets ofmachining marks A each including a plurality of continuous machiningmarks A at a fixed processing depth, as shown in FIG. 4A. The depressedportion 13 having the inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b inclined withrespect to the upper surface 10 a is thus formed. That is, in theforming of the depressed portion 13 in the second embodiment, Step C ofscanning is performed more than once at irradiation positions shifted inthe second direction B₂ and at different processing depths. As describedabove, Step C of scanning is scanning in the first direction B₁ with thepulsed laser beam L at a fixed processing depth. The above stepeliminates the need for stacking the machining marks A in the depthdirection, thereby shortening the time required for forming onedepressed portion 13 compared with the first embodiment. The pluralityof the continuous machining marks A may be formed at differentprocessing depths by changing the processing depths for every Step C ofscanning, as shown in FIG. 4B.

It is preferable to form a plurality of continuous sets of machiningmarks A at different processing depths, the sets of machining marks Aeach including a plurality of continuous machining marks A at a fixedprocessing depth, as shown in FIG. 4A. That is, it is preferable thatStep C of scanning be successively performed more than once atsubstantially the same processing depth. The time required for laserirradiation is thus shortened because the number of adjustments of theprocessing depth is less than in the case where the processing depth ischanged every Step C of scanning, and the resulting inclined surface 13a will be flatter. The number of continuous Steps C of scanning at afixed processing depth can be in a range of two to five. The number offive or less facilitates formation of the inclined surface 13 a. Steps Cof scanning are performed, for example, in the order from the largestprocessing depth. Step C of scanning at a fixed processing depth ispreferably performed across the whole wavelength conversion member 10 toform a plurality of depressed portions 13 rather than forming thedepressed portions 13 one by one. The number of changes in theprocessing depth is thus reduced compared with the case where thedepressed portions 13 are formed one by one, thereby shortening themachining time required for completing formation of a plurality ofdepressed portions 13. The inclined surface 13 b, which intersects withthe inclined surface 13 a, may be defined by one machining mark A.

Such a step is suitable for the case where a laser beam having ananosecond-order pulse width is used for the pulsed laser beam L. Inthis case, the processing depth can be changed by changing the outputwith the depth of the focus of the pulsed laser beam L being fixed.Specifically, a larger output offers a larger processing depth. Thenanosecond-order pulse width is, for example, 1 to 25 ns.

Since a too low output of the nanosecond-order pulsed laser beam L makesthe machining difficult, the minimum output among different outputs of aplurality of Steps C of scanning is preferably 30 mW or more, morepreferably 50 mW or more. On the other hand, since a too largeprocessing depth may cause breakage of the wavelength conversion member10, the maximum output among different outputs of a plurality of Steps Cof scanning is preferably 500 mW or less. The amount of change in outputfor changing the processing depth is, for example, 30 mW or more. Thisoutput facilitates formation of the inclined surface 13 a. To form asmooth inclined surface 13 a, the amount of change in output ispreferably 200 mW or less. The focus of the pulsed laser beam L shouldbe located on the surface or its vicinities of the wavelength conversionmember 10. Specifically, the focus of the pulsed laser beam L ispreferably located within a range of 20 μm from the upper surface 10 aof the wavelength conversion member 10. The interval between thefocuses, that is, the pitch of the pulsed laser beam L, in the firstdirection B₁ in each Step C of scanning is preferably 500 nm or more.This is because slowing down the feed rate to reduce the pitch tends toresult in a larger processing depth of individual machining marks thanexpected from the position of the focus in the case where the pulsedlaser beam L having a nanosecond-order pulse width is used. For example,the pitch of the pulsed laser beam L should be about 500 to 800 nm. Theshortest distance in the second direction B₂ between focuses of aplurality of Steps C of scanning is, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

The depressed portion 13 formed by such Step C of scanning has, forexample, a rectangular shape in a top view. The depressed portion 13having a desired shape such as a circular shape in a top view can beformed by adjusting positions and the numbers of times of Step C ofscanning and Set D of scanning.

Example 1

In Example 1, a wavelength conversion member 10 having a depressedportion 13 with the shape shown in FIG. 1C is produced by the followingmanufacturing method. First, a wavelength conversion member 10 thatincluded a phosphor portion made of a YAG phosphor andlight-transmissive portions made of Al₂O₃ is provided. The proportion ofthe phosphor portion to the whole wavelength conversion member 10 isabout 75 vol %, and the proportion of the light-transmissive portionsdispersed in the phosphor portion is about 25 vol %. The wavelengthconversion member 10 has a substantially square shape with a side ofabout 1 mm in a top view and has a thickness of about 100 μm.

Next, the wavelength conversion member 10 is irradiated with a pulsedlaser beam L to form the depressed portion 13. As the pulsed laser beamL, a laser beam having a wavelength of about 1,030 nm and a pulse widthof about 250 fs is used. A fixed output of the laser beam of about 50 mWis used. Set D of scanning including performing Step C of scanning morethan once is performed more than once at different processing depths asshown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2F. In each Step C of scanning, the feed rateof the wavelength conversion member 10 is about 2 mm/sec, and therepetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam is 200 kHz. The differencein the second direction B₂ in the positions of focuses of differentSteps C of scanning in one Set D of scanning is about 1 μm, and thedifference in the depth direction in the positions of focuses ofdifferent Sets D of scanning is about 1 μm. The positions and thenumbers of times of Step C of scanning and Set D of scanning areadjusted so that the depressed portion 13 having the following shape anddimensions is obtained. That is, the resulting depressed portion 13 isassumed to have a rectangular shape long in the first direction B₁ in atop view and to be defined by two inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b thathave different areas and form a right angle. Also, the dimensions of thedepressed portion 13 are assumed to be 10 μm in depth and 14 μm inwidth. Set D of scanning is performed about 10 times, and Step C ofscanning is performed about 95 times in total to form such a depressedportion 13. After the depressed portion 13 is formed in the wavelengthconversion member 10, cleaning with water is performed to remove debris.

FIG. 5 shows a section of the wavelength conversion member 10 having theresulting depressed portion 13, the section being perpendicular to theupper surface 10 a and taken along the second direction B₂. FIG. 5 is ascanning electron microscope (SEM) image. As shown in FIG. 5, thewavelength conversion member 10 includes a phosphor portion 11 andlight-transmissive portions 12. A portion covering a large area is thephosphor portion 11, and a plurality of portions that are darker incolor than the phosphor portion 11 and are surrounded by the phosphorportion 11 are the light-transmissive portions 12. The resultingdepressed portion 13 has a width of about 12 μm and a depth of about 6μm. The two inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b constituting the depressedportion 13 form an angle of about 70°. Formation of the depressedportion 13 having nearly flat inclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b as shownin FIG. 5 is achieved by performing Set D of scanning including aplurality of Steps C of scanning more than once successively downward inregions overlapping each other in a top view.

Example 2

A method for manufacturing a wavelength conversion member 10 having adepressed portion 13 in Example 2 differed from Example 1 in that thedepressed portion 13 is formed by performing Step C of scanning morethan once at different processing depths as shown in FIG. 4A. Thewavelength conversion member 10 provided in Example 2 is substantiallythe same as the wavelength conversion member 10 in Example 1 except thatthe proportion of the phosphor portion to the whole wavelengthconversion member 10 is about 90 vol % and that the proportion of thelight-transmissive portions is about 10 vol %. In Example 2, a laserbeam having a wavelength of about 350 nm and a pulse width of about 25ns is used for the pulsed laser beam L. In each Step C of scanning, themoving speed of the relative position of an irradiation unit of thepulsed laser beam L to the wavelength conversion member 10 is about 30nm/sec, and the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam is 60 kHz.The difference in the second direction B₂ in the positions of focuses ofdifferent Steps C of scanning is about 2 μm. Step C of scanning isperformed five times at each of laser beam outputs of about 500 mW,about 400 mW, about 300 mW, about 200 mW, about 100 mW, and about 50 mW,which are used in this order. A dark-colored deteriorated layer isadhered to the surfaces of the depressed portion 13 after machining. Thedeteriorated layer is removed by immersion in a mixed solution ofphosphoric acid and sulfuric acid at about 100 to 150° C. for about 40minutes.

FIG. 6 shows a section of the wavelength conversion member 10 having theresulting depressed portion 13, the section being perpendicular to theupper surface 10 a and taken along the second direction B₂. FIG. 6 is anSEM image. In FIG. 6, a portion covering a large area is the phosphorportion 11, and a plurality of portions that are darker in color thanthe phosphor portion 11 and are surrounded by the phosphor portion 11are the light-transmissive portions 12. The depressed portion 13 has awidth of about 60 μm and a depth of about 30 μm. The two inclinedsurfaces 13 a and 13 b constituting the depressed portion 13 form anangle of about 70°. Formation of the depressed portion 13 having theinclined surfaces 13 a and 13 b as shown in FIG. 6 is achieved byperforming Step C of scanning more than once at different processingdepths. Example 2 offers about one-sixth the machining time of Example 1on the basis of the machining time per area of 1 mm² in a top view.

A wavelength conversion member having a depressed portion and alight-emitting device including the wavelength conversion memberobtained by manufacturing methods in the present disclosure can be usedfor various applications that require light having undergone wavelengthconversion, in particular, applications that require high-power whitelight. Examples of such applications include use as light sources forlighting apparatuses for indoor and outdoor use and lighting apparatuses(such as headlights) for vehicles.

1. A wavelength conversion member manufacturing method comprising:providing the wavelength conversion member having an upper surface, thewavelength conversion member including a phosphor portion, and alight-transmissive portion configured to transmit fluorescence from thephosphor portion; and forming, in the wavelength conversion member, atleast one depressed portion each having an inclined surface inclinedwith respect to the upper surface by irradiating the wavelengthconversion member with a pulsed laser beam from above more than once toform a plurality of continuous machining marks at different processingdepths.
 2. The wavelength conversion member manufacturing methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the forming of the at least one depressedportion includes forming a plurality of depressed portions including theat least one depressed portion.
 3. The wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the forming of the atleast one depressed portion includes irradiating the wavelengthconversion member with the pulsed laser beam having a nanosecond-orderpulse width.
 4. The wavelength conversion member manufacturing methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the forming of the at least one depressedportion includes irradiating the wavelength conversion member with thepulsed laser beam having a pulse width of 1 to 25 ns.
 5. The wavelengthconversion member manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein thephosphor portion is made of YAG phosphors or LAG phosphors.
 6. Thewavelength conversion member manufacturing method according to claim 1,wherein the light-transmissive portion is made of Al₂O₃.
 7. Thewavelength conversion member manufacturing method according to claim 1,wherein a proportion of the phosphor portion to the wavelengthconversion member is 60 to 90 vol %.
 8. A method for manufacturing alight-emitting device, the method comprising: fixing the wavelengthconversion member obtained by the wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method according to claim 1, and a laser light sourceconfigured to emit first light by which the phosphor portion in thewavelength conversion member is excited to emit second light, in apositional relation in which the at least one depressed portion isirradiated with the first light.
 9. The method for manufacturing thelight-emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the inclined surfaceof the at least depressed portion has a first surface that is inclinedwith respect to the upper surface and is configured to regularly reflectlight directly applied along an optical axis of the first light upward.10. A wavelength conversion member manufacturing method comprising:providing the wavelength conversion member having an upper surface, thewavelength conversion member including a phosphor portion, and alight-transmissive portion configured to transmit fluorescence from thephosphor portion; and forming, in the wavelength conversion member, atleast one depressed portion each having an inclined surface inclinedwith respect to the upper surface by irradiating the wavelengthconversion member with a pulsed laser beam from above more than once toform a plurality of continuous sets of machining marks at differentprocessing depths, each of the continuous sets of the machining markshaving a plurality of continuous machining marks at a fixed processingdepth.
 11. The wavelength conversion member manufacturing methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the forming of the at least one depressedportion includes forming the plurality of continuous machining marks atthe fixed processing depth by two to five scanning at the fixedprocessing depth.
 12. The wavelength conversion member manufacturingmethod according to claim 10, wherein the forming of the at least onedepressed portion includes forming a plurality of depressed portionsincluding the at least one depressed portion.
 13. The wavelengthconversion member manufacturing method according to claim 10, whereinthe forming of the at least one depressed portion includes irradiatingthe wavelength conversion member with the pulsed laser beam having ananosecond-order pulse width.
 14. The wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein the forming of theat least one depressed portion includes irradiating the wavelengthconversion member with the pulsed laser beam having a pulse width of 1to 25 ns.
 15. The wavelength conversion member manufacturing methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the phosphor portion is made of YAGphosphors or LAG phosphors.
 16. The wavelength conversion membermanufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein thelight-transmissive portion is made of Al₂O₃.
 17. The wavelengthconversion member manufacturing method according to claim 10, wherein aproportion of the phosphor portion to the wavelength conversion memberis 60 to 90 vol %.
 18. A method for manufacturing a light-emittingdevice, the method comprising: fixing the wavelength conversion memberobtained by the wavelength conversion member manufacturing methodaccording to claim 10, and a laser light source configured to emit firstlight by which the phosphor portion in the wavelength conversion memberis excited to emit second light, in a positional relation in which theat least one depressed portion is irradiated with the first light. 19.The method for manufacturing the light-emitting device according toclaim 18, wherein the inclined surface of the at least depressed portionhas a first surface that is inclined with respect to the upper surfaceand is configured to regularly reflect light directly applied along anoptical axis of the first light upward.